Today on 3-Minute Theory: How to write unique drum patterns using the rhythm of the bass.

Check out this Hack Music Theory video/podcast if you want to learn how to program unique drums that stand out from…

Today on 3-Minute Theory: How to write an amazing bass line (that's way better than all those boring bass lines we hear in the charts all the time) for your chord progression.

Check out this Hack Music Theory video/podcast…

Today on 3-Minute Theory: How to write HEAVY bass lines using the harmonic minor scale.

Check out this Hack Music Theory video/podcast if you're wanting to go heavier with your bass lines, and the natural minor scale (AKA…

Today on 3-Minute Theory: How to write an epic EDM bass drop in 7 steps!

If you’re an EDM producer, there’s nothing worse than giving your audience an epic build on the snare drum, then following that with a…

Today on 3-Minute Theory: How to make your programmed MIDI chord progressions sound like a real live human played them on a real live instrument.

The first thing we need to do is understand what makes something sound…

Today on 3-Minute Theory: How to bring your chord progressions to life!

We’re still in D Dorian, and using the white-note hack, we previously wrote this chord progression: Dm → Am → Em → Gmaj. As you can see…

Today on 3-Minute Theory: How to make a chord change flow smoothly when you don’t have a common note.

We’re in D Dorian, and using the white-note hack we previously wrote this chord progression: Dm → Am →…

Today on 3-Minute Theory: How to make your chord progressions flow like a pro!

What we’re really talking about here are chord changes. So, let’s have a look at the chord progression we made in the previous lesson, using…

How to Write a Chord Progression Using Chords Not in the Key

Knut from the electronic music hub of Tromsø in Norway, emailed us with this question: “I’ve spent some time analyzing an old track from The Prodigy called ‘Out…

As with most things in life, writing a great vocal melody is all about balance: Balancing harmonic and non-harmonic notes, balancing small and large melodic intervals, balancing short and long note values, and so on…

Jennifer from Vancouver emailed us with this question: “I’m new to producing, and I’m trying to learn more about bass and how it works, cuz the way I’m doing it now is sounding really boring. You know when you…

What makes a great vocal? Well, it used to be two elements: Melody & Performance. However, as I’m sure you already know, nowadays most vocal recordings are edited using Auto-Tune or Melodyne, which corrects the pitch and rhythm…

Alex from Montreal asked the following question in the comments of our Hack-A-Hit video on The Chainsmokers: “In your other videos you emphasized always starting your modes on their root chords, because that gives the listener a…

How to Write a Chord Progression
in the Dorian Mode

The video above is from our Songwriting & Producing Course. If you wanna make Dorian music, this course is for you. In 12 step-by-step videos, you'll learn our essential…

Jared from the States emailed us with this question: “I used the blues scale to make a bass synth line. I really love it, but I can’t seem to add chords to it. I’m getting REALLY frustrated!!!! Can you…

Do you get frustrated while making music? Do you battle to finish songs you start? Do they all sound the same, anyway? Do your chord progressions and melodies never turn out as good as you’d hoped? Do you listen…

Alan from Portland, Oregon emailed us and asked: “I understand the major and minor scales, and I use them in my tracks all the time, but I don’t understand the modes. I know they’re like scales, but I don’t…

Discover the go-to chord progression that The Chainsmokers use in their hit-making formula!

When The Chainsmokers' brand new Coldplay collaboration "Something Just Like This" came out two weeks ago, did you notice that it sounds just…

How do write an epic riff that’s so tasty it sounds just as good on a guitar as it does on a synth? Easy, just follow these three music theory hacks:

Step 1: Start with the root note of…

Roland from Germany emailed us and asked: “I really love the blues scale, it's so juicy and funky for writing bass lines. But if I've got it right, you can only make a blues scale out of a minor…

Follow this simple step-by-step Hack Music Theory guide for writing great bass lines!

Step 1: Start with the root note of each chord in your chord progression
If you’re working in a digital audio workstation (DAW), then copy…

Sara Sky from Vancouver Island, Canada asks: “How does theory relate to expressing different emotions in a composition?” Wow, what an awesome question, thank you Sara! And what a perfect topic to kick off our Q&A Tuesdays…